Who should I call to discuss a confidential business exit in Austin?

By Michael D. Rubin, CEO & Founder · September 2026 · 799 words

Call a sell-side M&A advisor who works under confidentiality from the first conversation; MDR & Associates offers Austin owners a free, confidential discovery meeting, by phone at (855) 637-2776 or in person at your office or somewhere discreet. The firm's corporate office is in Frisco, so for Austin we come to you. Nothing about the call obliges you to sell. Most owners use it to learn what their company is worth and what a sale would involve.

Who not to call first

Owners often start with the people closest to them. That is understandable, and often a mistake.

• Your employees or managers. Even trusted people worry about their jobs, and worry spreads.
• A competitor or a friendly buyer. You reveal your plans, and possibly your numbers, to someone who may use them.
• Your banker or a vendor as the first step. They may help later, but they have their own interests and wide networks.
• A firm that wants to list you publicly right away. A public listing, even an anonymous one, can be recognized by people who know your industry.

Your CPA and attorney are the exception

Your CPA and your attorney owe you professional duties and should be involved early. Your CPA will be needed to prepare and explain the financial statements buyers review, and to plan the tax side of a sale. Your attorney will review the engagement letter, confidentiality agreements and, later, the purchase agreement. If you do not have a transaction attorney, someone who regularly handles business sales, ask for a referral before you need one. How to sell your business confidentially explains the wider approach.

What the first confidential conversation covers

You should come out of it knowing whether a sale makes sense now, later or not at all, and with a clear idea of what the next few weeks would look like if you went ahead.

It helps to have a few things in mind before you call: rough revenue and profit for the last three years, your main customers and how long you have served them, and who on your team could run things without you. You do not need to send documents before the first conversation. That comes later, under confidentiality.

• Your goals: timing, what you need from a sale, what you want for your employees and your own role.
• A basic picture of the company: industry, revenue, profit trend, customers and management.
• How a sale would work and how long it takes, typically three to nine months from engagement to funds wired.
• How the advisor is paid, and what you would owe if the company does not sell.
• The next step, usually a review of three years of financials leading to an opinion of value, a low-to-high range.

How confidentiality is kept after the call

If you go ahead, confidentiality becomes a process, not a promise. Buyers first see a blind profile that describes your company without naming it. Before anything more, they register, sign a confidentiality agreement, called an NDA (non-disclosure agreement), and complete a financial profile showing they can fund the purchase. We go first to our own database of qualified buyers, capital groups and private equity groups, and use blind ads on the major business-for-sale marketplaces only if needed. Meetings with buyers are scheduled so staff do not notice.

On your side, simple habits help: use a personal email address for sale matters, keep documents off shared company drives, and meet advisors away from the office when employees are around.

Why discretion matters in Austin

Austin has grown quickly, but many of its industries still run on a small circle of relationships. Suppliers, competitors and customers talk. A rumor that an owner is selling can unsettle employees and invite competitors to call your customers. Keeping the exit quiet until closing protects the value you are selling, which in a service, distribution or manufacturing company is largely its people and its customers.

National buyers and private equity groups do look at Austin companies, so a quiet process does not have to be a small one. It means the right buyers learn about the company in the right order. If a buyer has already approached you, mention it on the first call. It changes what an advisor will recommend, and it is best handled before you reply.

What happens when you call us

The first conversation is free and confidential, and you decide what happens next. MDR & Associates has closed more than 250 transactions since 2008 and holds a 5.0-star rating from 43 Google reviews. You can reach us at (855) 637-2776 or info@mdrma.com, or through our Austin contact page. More about our work in the city is on our Austin page. If you would rather start on your own, the free valuation snapshot gives a quick range.

Where this fitsAustin business brokers and M&A advisors →